With or Without You
by I'mtheonlyone
Summary: The time for the Wizard competition has finally arrived but when things do not go quite the way Justin had planned a gigantic secret is revealed that changes his life forever. Will Justin let it ruin his life? Non-incest Jalex.
1. The Reject

**Disclaimer: I don't own WOWP but if i did i doubt they would allow it on disney channel.**

Chapter One: The Reject.

The day had finally arrived. He was twenty two years old. Max had just graduated from high school and their father had finally deemed them all ready for the competition. So he was back on that battle field. Ruins scattered out around him. The whole event was being presided over by Professor Crumbs, some high up members of the wizard counsel and their uncle Kelbo. He wriggled impatiently waiting for the contest to begin. Professor Crumbs was explaining the rules. Justin for once in his life wasn't paying attention to what the professor was saying. He had already done this before. He knew the rules. He studied them like crazy for the past few years. And this time he intended to win. He intended to win all the family magic and become the family wizard. There was just no other acceptable options. He had to win.

He glanced over at his sister. She was a completely magical being and he hated the idea of taking that away from her. It made him sad but not as sad as he would be if he lost his magic. Besides once he was family wizard he would take care of her just like he had done his entire life.

Professor Crumbs finally finished talking. Rubbing his hands together he produced a fiery ball of pure magic and released it. Forming a gust of wind with his hands he pushed it high into the sky at about the center of the field. "You may now begin." he uttered out the words Justin had been waiting for.

All three of them took off. Running haphazardly towards the center of the field. To the burning ball of magic and hopefully towards there future as a full wizard. Max was a surprisingly adept participant. It really came as quite a shock and it threw off Alex and Justin who had pretty much assumed that it was always going one of them. Yep Max was actually a competent wizard. Justin and Alex snapped out of their shock pretty quickly though. They were both in this competition to win it.

Alex was using pretty much the same strategy that she had used last time. Lots of big water puddles Justin slipping and falling in them as she laughed at him. It worked the first time so hey maybe it would work again. But Justin caught on pretty quickly. He summoned up a strong wind and rode on it like he was surfing the air. That pretty much made all of Alex's puddle useless. He looked down and saw Max standing in one he acted quickly using his wand to freeze the puddle. As Max was trying to thaw himself out Justin headed towards the magic. He saw Alex head for it too. He was so close. This time he would catch it. This time it would be his. Reaching out he touched it. It felt warm and tingly. He expected to absorb it into his body. For it to become a part of him but that didn't happen. It just stayed there. Alex had almost caught up with him and as she approached the magic darted away avoiding her.

Justin's legs felt weak and his stomach was tossing with sickness. What had happened? He had just touched it. Felt it in his hands. So why wasn't it inside him now? Why wasn't he lifted up in the air by the power of his magic? His full wizard powers. He collapsed to the ground. All his energy was gone. He didn't know what had happened but he was pretty sure his world as he knew it was completely over. This was supposed to be the happiest moment of his life but instead he was lying on the ground trying desperately not to cry.

Crumbs stopped the competition. All the judges ran out on the field along with Jerry and Theresa. They all wore confused expressions except for professor Crumbs.

"Justin. The Russo Family magic has rejected you. That can only mean one thing. It means that you are not a Russo." Professor Crumbs declared.

"What!" Theresa shouted out. "Okay this has got be some kind of mistake. Justin is a Russo. I gave birth to him I should know. "She argued forcefully.

"Did you give birth to him? Or is that just what you think? Memory can be altered Theresa. Just because you remember something that does not make it true. Think back and I'm sure you will find the memories lack details. Where was Justin born? What did he look like when you first laid eyes on him? And so on. You can't tell me can you? Because Justin is not your son. Now the real questions are how and why." Professor Crumb explained.

"I think it's safe to assume that some illegal form of magic was used to bring this about." he said accusingly. And the entire family turned to look at Alex suspiciously.

"What! Like I'm going to make the most annoyingly perfect guy in the world my brother so that I'll always look bad in comparison? Yeah right!" she said sarcastically. "I don't buy it anyway. Justin is my brother. I know I convinced Max that he was our butler for half of his life and there was that one time I tried to put him up for adoption but the fact of the matter is he is my brother." Alex said firmly.

Professor Crumbs zapped them all back to the wizard city hall and put them all into separate rooms. That way he could speak to each of them alone and he could get this whole mess sorted out. He was rummaging through some files. The information had to be here somewhere. When he finally found it he whistled softly. He had not been expecting that. Taking the scroll with him he headed straight for the room that contained Justin.

Justin felt gutted. A few hours ago he had thought that the worst thing that could ever happen to him would be losing the wizard competition. Now not only had he not won again but it turned out he didn't even know who he was. How did he get here? How did he end up in a family that didn't rightfully belong to him? As professor crumbs walked in Justin stood up nervously.

"I think you should sit back down Justin." professor crumbs suggested. "On this scroll every spell that you have ever performed is magically written." Crumbs showed him the scroll. At the top written in bold was the name 'Justin Denalli'.

"It's broken down by year. Could you read starting at year thirteen?" crumbs requested.

Justin did as he was told reading off the list. "Turned Derek Beekerrnan's skin green. Charmed my teacher into giving me first prize in the science fair. Gave my dog wings, Charmed Alex Russo into making out with me behind the bleachers! Wait a minute? What?" He yelled out. "This can't be right! I don't remember doing any of those things." he said forcefully.

"Keep reading Justin." Crumbs said ignoring Justin's frantic tone.

"Cast a spell to make it so that me and my girlfriend Alex Russo would be together always." Justin said quietly. And suddenly having said that out loud he remembered something. He remembered the uncontrollable love and yearning of a thirteen year old boy who's only good thing in life was his girl friend Alex Russo. He remembered that he loved her and definitely not in a way a brother loves his sister because she wasn't his sister. She was his lover.

**Author's Note: I was kind feeling uninspired by my other stories so i have started yet another story. Hope you like it. Happy thanksgiving everyone!**


	2. A Day in the Life of Justin Denalli

**Disclaimer: I do not own WOWP but if I did I doubt they would allow it on Disney channel.**

Chapter Two: A Day in the Life of Justin Denalli

Professor Crumbs did a reversal spell the best that he could. The truth was that nine years had passed since Justin had become a part of the Russo family and Professor Crumbs wasn't sure if the spell could even be reversed. The statue of limitations on spell reversals usually only lasted three to five years. Justin being a young untrained wizard at the time he cast it, had made some serious mistakes and the magic twisted itself around the request however it had seen fit.

He should start getting memories back though. Maybe not all of them but some. Others who had been affected by the spell might or might not get back their memories though. They just had to wait and she how the reversal spell worked out. Justin had been the center of the storm. He had cast the spell so he had the closest link to the magic and was more likely to regain his memories then every one else.

Professor Crumbs lectured him about his irresponsible use of magic. Told him that he could have torn the world apart because he had not known what he was doing. Said he was very lucky there had not been any negative repercussions because if there had been he would have been in serious trouble. It all went in one ear and out the other.

Who was he really? Could he even call himself Justin Russo anymore? Justin Denalli just sounded so wrong to him. He almost wished that he hadn't been the first one to touch that ball of magic. Maybe then he would still think he was a Russo and his life wouldn't be in irreparable shatters. But then he would have realized he still had magic when he should not and it all would have come out eventually. Still he would give anything to unlearn what he had leaned today.

Professor Crumbs left the room to speak to his family about what had transpired today. Justin begged him not to mention the part about him being in love with Alex. If he could keep it a secret forever he would but if they had to find out he preferred later to sooner. Guilt built up like a blockage in his chest making it hard for him to breathe. The brotherly love and affection that he could remember feeling his whole life swirled together with reawakening romantic love and lust leaving a sour feeling in his stomach. He was so confused. How could he even look at her again? He was afraid she would see it in his eyes and be disgusted. After all as far as she was concerned he was her 'annoying' older brother and she was his 'not so sweet' baby sister. Him wanting her for anything more was completely unacceptable.

Professor Crumbs opened the door again after being gone for about twenty five minutes. His family waited for him on the other side of the door. His fake family. His mock family… He didn't even know what to call them anymore! Justin with slumped shoulders and eyes downcast exited the room he had been waiting in.

Alex immediately flew to him wrapping her arms around his neck and whispering emotionally into his ear. "I don't care what anyone says, Justin! You'll always be my brother. No matter what!" she said in a raspy voice strained from tears.

Justin shrugged her off avoiding looking at her and began walking away. Crumbs stopped him with a magical hand gesture that seemed to have his feet glued to the floor. "It would be best if Justin were to rest for a few days. This ordeal has been particularly draining on him and his memories should start returning which could cause slight illness in him as they arrive. That's just part of the punishment for doing a spell you are not authorized or powerful enough to do. I will be in touch. The wizard council will most likely go easy on Justin since he was such a young child and had little guidance in his magic but there is always a chance they will demand harsher punishments. I will drop you all at home. It has been a difficult enough day as it is for you all." Crumbs finished off waving his hands.

In an instant they were all home and he found himself in the middle of a group hug. Tears tried to build up in his eyes for a second time that day but he blinked them back. He didn't want their comfort. He just wanted to be alone. At least that's what he told himself but an equally large part of him wanted to fall into their arms like a hurt child and have them soothe all his pain away.

"You'll always be a Russo, Justin, and you'll always be my son." his father said in a horse voice. Not his father. Not really. He replaced the word father in his head with Jerry. This was too much for him right now. Shoving his way out of the arms of the people he had once thought of as his family he ran up the stairs and into his bedroom. Slamming, locking, and magically sealing the door he paced the floor confusing thoughts swirling in his head. At first he thought the pounding was in his head but then he realized it was coming from the door.

"Justin! Are you okay? Let me in, please!" His ex-sister, ex-girlfriend, ex-whatever pleaded to him.

Ripping his hands through his hair in frustration he stopped his pacing and turned towards the door. Didn't she know that she was the last person he wanted to see? Probably not and he wasn't going to tell her either. "Go away, Alex I just want to be alone right now!" she was no longer pounding on the door but the pounding in his head continued. A headache joined it along with nausea and the room was swaying clumsily. Before he knew it he couldn't keep his balance any longer and his body thudded onto the floor loudly. He heard her screaming on the other side of the door for him to tell her he was okay but he couldn't answer. His eyes slowly drifted closed and then memories flooded him.

* * *

Sometime nine or so years ago…..

Today was his mother's birthday. Every year he made a special trip across town to a specialty florist who sold the biggest prettiest sunflowers in the city because they were her favorite. Truthfully it was a strain on his meager income to ride all the way across town, get the flowers and then ride in a completely opposite direction to deliver them then go almost all the way back to his starting point for school but he didn't mind so much. His father told him he was an idiot for bothering and that his mother didn't even deserve a crappy bundle of weeds but he ignored him.

When he arrived at the shop he immediately caught the sales woman's attention pointing to the sunflower's in the glass case. He didn't have time to waste. "Could I have a dozen please?" he asked while pulling out his wallet.

The woman smiled at him making small talk. "Getting a present for your girlfriend?" she asked teasingly. "That will be thirty-eight dollars!" she added perkily.

Justin pulled out the money and handed it to her before reaching for the flowers she bundled up in colored paper and clear plastic. "No actually they are for my mom. It's her birthday." He told her waiting for her to give back his change.

The lady smiled at him sweetly. "Well isn't that nice! I should have known you were too young to have a girlfriend." She said as she slowly counted out his money. She seemed to be having a problem with the bills sticking together.

Justin patiently waited his foot tapping slightly. He really didn't have much time. He needed to get back so he could catch his next subway train. "Actually I do have a girlfriend." he said unable to stop himself from cracking a smile. "She's the most beautiful girl in school." he bragged with pride.

The flower lady seemingly finally got a handle on his money and put it in the register pulling out his change. "You know I almost forgot. Today we're having a special. Buy any dozen get a single rose free. Maybe you could give it to your girlfriend." she told him pulling a purple rose out of the glass case and slipping it into a tiny plastic vase for holding single flowers. "You know I believe the purple rose stands for beauty and love at first sight" she said smiling as she handed it to him.

Justin looked at the rose for a moment thinking of Alex. "Well, then, that's definitely the flower for her." he said smiling softly. Looking back up at the shop lady he widened his smile to a grin and thanked her running out the door. He could still make it to his train. He would just have to hurry and he did sliding through the doors just as they were closing.

It didn't take too long before he was stepping back out of the train, and up the subway stairs, down the street, and straight into a building that smelled of antiseptic and disinfectant. He took the elevator straight up to the seventh floor then walked towards her room pausing only briefly to acknowledge the nurses and orderlies that recognized him as a frequent visitor. When he finally made it to her room he went straight to a set of cabinets where he knew there was a vase left from one of the many other times he had brought her flowers. Adding water and the flower fresh packet to the vase he moved it to the stand next to her bed and arranged the flowers so they caught the light off the window.

"Hi mom." he said quietly pulling a chair up next to her bed. He purposely positioned himself in her line of sight. "It's your birthday. I got your favorite, sunflowers. I went all the way across town to get them because I remembered how you said it meant more to you when I took the effort to get them the normal way." he spoke softly to her.

She merely turned her head in the opposite direction and stared off at the wall. She had been like this for quite a while. He didn't really remember much of her before she became this way. Just that she had been nice and caring but not very attentive and that she had become increasingly upset as his magic began to develop. He remembered her sad blue eyes turning frantic every time something magically happened that was caused by him, but he had little control over. Then one day he had come home from playing with Alex after school and no one had been there. The door was locked and he spent the entire night sitting out on the stoop waiting for someone to come home. He fell asleep out in the cold and at some point his father came stumbling home high or drunk or whatever and told him his mom had an accident and was never coming home.

She was in a coma for a while and then when she came out of it she was like this. This weird catatonic state that didn't seem to respond to treatment at all. His dad said he was wasting his time visiting the retard. That Lisa had never really been worth the time before she turned into a living dummy. Justin just ignored him. His father never had anything good to say about anyone.

He stayed there talking about his life a little. He didn't know if she was listening or even capable of listening but he liked to pretend that she was. That she secretly enjoyed him talking to her and that she would miss him if he stopped coming. He stayed as long as he possibly could before he had to go again. He couldn't be late for school because he wanted to catch Alex before class started and give her the rose. It had wilted a bit but he perked it back up with magic so it looked fresher than fresh.

He caught her at her class door right as the tardy bell rang and detained her, pulling her behind a stand of lockers so they wouldn't be seen loitering. "Hey beautiful!" he said charmingly pulling her into his arms.

"Justin!" she shoved him away. "You made me late again!" she said exasperatedly.

Justin only smirked. "Yes… but I had a good excuse!" he said floating the perfect rose out from behind his back to under her nose so the soft petals tickled her skin.

A smile shot onto her face as she reached out grabbing her present. "My my. Justin Denalli getting a girl flowers. This will definitely ruin you bad reputation. I'm telling every one. Who knows Harper might even stop being scared of you and calling you evil in the flesh." she said teasingly.

Justin frowned despite her joking tone. "Ugh don't remind me! You can tell her the feeling is mutual!" he said with annoyance.

Alex looked down at her rose and frowned. "Purple? What does purple mean anyway?" she asked her brows creasing. She would be pretty pissed if she found out it meant something bad. Didn't dark roses mean the end of a relationship?

"It means love at first sight. That's why it's a perfect gift from me to you." he said smiling.

Alex laughed. "Justin! We met when we were five and you wouldn't even speak to me. You just stared at me like I was the strangest thing you had ever seen and when I tried to talk to you, you ran away!"

He stepped in closer to her and pressed his forehead into hers. "Well, love makes you do weird things." he whispered skimming his lips over hers.

She pressed herself against him and before she realized what she had done they were leaning heavily against the lockers making out.

They didn't get much time before they were discovered and pulled apart. Alex was warned by the teacher that she needed to choose the people she spent time with more wisely and Justin was admonished for dragging poor Alex down with him. They were each issued a detention slip and then sent on to class.

As Alex walked away he heard her murmuring unhappily. "My father is not going to be happy about this."

Justin frowned to himself. He bet he knew exactly who Alex's father would be blaming for his daughter's detention. It definitely wouldn't be his perfect little princess, but then he guessed Jerry would be right in assuming it was Justin's fault. It usually was but he didn't need this. Jerry Russo didn't like him which was really inconvenient considering two facts. One, He was in love with the man's daughter and two, Since his father was incredibly unreliable and had no desire to teach his son magic the wizard council had tasked Jerry with that job.

Justin spent the rest of the day dreading the moment when both he and Alex would show up for magic lessons late and Jerry would look at him with that accusatory and disapproving look. It kind of stabbed at his gut because deep down he really wanted them to like him.

When he was five someone from the wizard council had picked him up and taken him over to the Russo's restaurant. Apparently his powers were coming in early and they needed someone to teach him to use his magic. He had assumed it would be another wizard but it turned out just to be an ex-wizard like his own father except this man didn't spend all his time out drinking and using drugs He didn't come home smelling strange and telling his wife and kid that he hated them because they were the reason he had lost his magic. He was happy and he was always telling his family that he loved them.

At first Justin had tried his best to impress the man but it never really worked. Jerry Russo always looked at him with suspicion. A few times he had even heard him uttering his last name with disgust. "Denalli!" he would say it like it left a bad taste in his mouth.

As Justin and Alex approached the sandwich shop at the end of the day they held hands but as soon as he saw Jerry stepping out of the shop to glare at him disapprovingly for their lateness he snatched his hand away from hers. There was no way Jerry would ever approve of Justin dating his little princess.

When he had still been really young he used to dream he was a part of their family instead of his own. Alex would be his sister, Max his baby brother, and Jerry and Theresa would love him just as much their two children. But as he got older that dream changed because Alex grew more beautiful all the time and soon he was picturing himself as the father and her as the mother. He would have that perfect life someday, he was sure of it.

**Author Note: For whatever reason I really wanted to get this next chapter out. So here it is. Justin and Alex are out of character. I thought since Alex wouldn't have to compete for attention from her parents with Justin she would be less rebellious and since they don't have Justin to be their perfect child they would put more pressure on Alex to fill that role. Justin not having loving caring parents would feel less pressure to be the good child or try to impress anyone. So I'm going to be going back in forth from present to random flash backs to the past before Justin cast the spell. Thanks for reading and have a great day! Oh and YCMM will be updated next. i have about half of the chapter written already so hopefully i can finish it sometime tomorrow. **


	3. Mine!

**Disclaimer: I don't own WOWP but if I did I doubt they would allow it on Disney channel.**

Chapter Three: Mine

Alex tried popping in. She tried every possible spell she could think of to get into that room and a few she made up. Then enlisting her father's help she tried spell after spell that he listed off from memory even going as far as to go through several different spell books looking for a way in. Nothing worked; he was locked up tight and solid in his bedroom. Finally she popped herself out on the ledge outside his room so she could look into his window. She almost stepped back off the ledge in shock when she saw him. He was lying on the floor in convulsions, white foam dripping out of his mouth. She wanted to scream out to him but thought better of it. She didn't want people to see her and think she was about to jump or something. Instead she wrapped the edge of her shirt sleeve around her fist and pounded it into the window hard enough to crack the glass but it didn't give. She tried a few more times with no luck and finally popped back inside.

Nearly in tears now she pulled out her wand and used it to call Professor Crumbs. She did her best not to sound hysterical but she was pretty sure she failed considering the whiny quality to her voice and the tears pouring down her face. It only took a moment for Crumbs to appear and she sucked up her sniffles, scrubbed the tears from her face, and set a fierce glare on him. She was intensely displeased with Professor Crumbs. Today had not just been a bad day for Justin although it was going exceedingly down hill for him.

She had been extremely nervous all morning because she had known she was going to lose. Despite being dropped to the bottom in the ranks Justin had only grown more and more powerful and she knew she couldn't compete with him. She was the last in the running, even behind Max and although she knew she could still slip ahead of him Justin was a whole other obstacle. He was like a brick wall and she had fully expected to lose her powers today. Instead she was losing Justin and the knowledge made her sick to her stomach. How she wished she had merely lost her powers today.

There wasn't really anyone to blame for it so she decided it was best to blame Crumbs. He was the one who had announced Justin was not her brother. He was the one that was tearing her family apart. He was the one who was taking Justin away from her. People might say it was wrong to kill the messenger but didn't the messenger deserve it sometimes? If the stupid messenger wanted to stay alive anyway maybe he should just keep his big fat mouth shut.

Professor Crumbs looked around the room with boredom before opening his mouth to make comment. "Well the world doesn't seem to be at it's end… so I guess the question is why someone managed to call me at my private number and screech so horribly at me?" he said with condescension.

Alex balled up her fists and stood stiffly holding back the strong urge to fling herself at the old man, yank his beard off, and stuff it down his throat to shut him up. "Justin's locked himself in his room. No spell can get it open and he's lying on the floor having a seizure. We need to get him out of there." Alex said stiffly trying to control her anger and anxiety.

Crumbs stroked his beard thoughtfully. "This is a good sign. I think perhaps we should just let him be." He said decisively before turning his back on Alex as if to leave.

"What!" Alex cried out in panic and disbelief ready to launch herself forward and tackle the old wizard. She would sit on him until he agreed to let her in Justin's room she decided about to step forward.

Her father and Max stepped forward each grabbing one of her arms to prevent her from moving. Maybe they had read her mind or maybe they had just seen the crazy expression on her face and knew she was about to attack the wizard but either way they had ruined her plan. Truthfully, she had completely forgotten the rest of the family was there. To her the world had narrowed to only include Crumbs, Justin, and herself.

Jerry spoke to Crumbs' retreating figure. "What do you mean? It's a good sign how?" he asked.

Professor Crumbs turned back around to address the Russos. "It means the reversal spell has worked to some extent. Sickness is to be expected. I did not think it would be this harsh but I guess I underestimated his power. You see partially the sickness is due as punishment for using a restricted spell but it is also his power returning to him as the spell dissolves." he told them.

Jerry looked at him in confusion. "I don't understand." he said looking to the elder wizard for explanation.

Crumbs sighed. "Justin is an extremely powerful wizard. Once he reaches his full powers he could be the most powerful wizard ever born. The wizard council first learned of his developing powers when he was five but we know they came even sooner than that. His father just neglected to inform anyone of the matter. You know as well as any other wizard, Jerry, that most wizards don't start developing powers until puberty. Reports say that at five magic was practically seeping from his pores. He had nearly as much power as an adult but it was completely unpredictable and unmanageable. You know a thirteen year old wizard should not be able to cast a spell that bends the world around him to his liking and even if they could manage it there is no way it could hold. Well, Justin's spell held for nine years and would have kept until the end of time but it leached at his powers… and now those powers are returning to him. That is why you could not get inside his room. His magic is too strong for you to break" he explained calmly.

All four of the Russo's mouths hung open in shock that their mild mannered goofy Justin was quite possibly the most powerful wizard ever born.

Crumbs interrupted their shock to announce his departure. "Jerry… Theresa," he nodded to them both. "You two have done a very good job of raising and guiding Justin. We are all very lucky that by some twist of fate you became his parents. He will be okay and once he regains his powers he will be a good and responsible wizard thanks to you both. Now I must go. I'm afraid I'm late for a very important appointment." he told them turning once again to make his exit.

"Wait!" Alex shouted out to him. "Could you… could you please open his room. I just have to be able to see him! I need to see him, know that he's there, know that he is okay." she pleaded the whiny quality returning to her voice, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks.

Crumbs smiled at her as he reached into his robe pulling out a black spherical object with a long fuse. It looked exactly like a cartoon bomb. "This is an undo bomb. A very concentrated and explosive form of undo dust" he explained. "It's used when you can find no other way to get past a spell. If this does not work, I'm sorry but I can't help you. Stick it to his door and light the fuse with your wand." he instructed her before handing it over and finally leaving the apartment.

Alex didn't waste any time. She immediately ran up the stairs straight to Justin's bedroom. She smacked the bomb up against Justin's door and it stuck on easily even though it was not sticky. Pulling her wand out of her boot she raised it to the fuse and sang out a verse. "Come on baby light my fire." The sparks flew, the fuse lit, and the entire building shook. She could see the invisible barrier around his room flicker and then die out. She smiled in relief when she reached out to turn the knob and the door easily opened.

Again she had forgotten she wasn't alone but the feeling fell away when Mom, Dad, and Max rushed forward. Dad and Max lifted Justin up onto the bed and Mom pulled a handkerchief from her pocket wiping the foamy liquid from his chin. Alex stood back in annoyance watching them all hover over Justin. Part of her understood. He wasn't just her brother. He was also Max's brother, he was Jerry's son, and he was Theresa's son also but another part of her screamed inside of her brain. 'He's mine! Go away! He's mine!'

She didn't know why but she had kind of always felt like she owned Justin and he was solely hers. He was always there for her, always protecting her, always cleaning up her messes. It wasn't really hard for her to think of him as hers. So she stood back and waited until they all left. They slowly drifted out one after another until finally she was alone. She stepped forward and stared down at him. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully now. Reaching out she stroked his hair and touched his face reassured by the warmness of his skin. Then for whatever reason she felt the need to crawl into bed with him and set her ear against his chest so she could hear the beat of his heart. The long emotion wrenching day took it toll on her. Finally finding herself in a resting position her eyes drifted shut and she fell into sleep and dreams. Dreams of her past.

* * *

Alex Russo took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She blew out a steady stream of air moving her head back and forth so that her breath would encompass all five of her birthday candles. As the last puff of air left her lungs she made her wish. She wanted a friend. A friend that would completely be hers and hers alone. She was tired of sharing with her little brother Max. As her eyes opened she looked around the substation searching for her new friend. Hoping he had already miraculously appeared but no one was there except for her family. She frowned disappointedly and huffed out her annoyance that her parents had lied to her about birthday wishes coming true. Her mother was quick to explain that sometimes wishes took a little time to come true but Alex only rolled her eyes at this. Wishes were magic and magic was obviously just a lie she was only sad that she wasn't going to get her friend.

The day went on and the sub shop filled with customers who came and went. Alex sat at the bar eating her birthday cake and coloring in one of her new coloring books she got for her birthday. She wore her pink princess birthday hat all day because her parents insisted on it even though she hated it. Then the shop closed and her parents were busy cleaning up. She hopped down from her stool and was just about to tug on he mom's pants to tell her she wanted to go upstairs to watch cartoons when the shop door opened. In walked an old man in a weird bathrobe and a little boy that looked like he was the same age as her.

Alex ran to her dad hiding behind him shyly as he wrapped her arms around his leg peeking out to look at the little boy. The old man had a grim look on his face and the usual cheery look on her dad's face dimmed.

"Jerry, I've come to you because I need a favor. I need you to train this boy in magic." The man said as Alex listened wide eyed.

Her dad frowned before answering. "But this boy can't be much older than my little Alex. He can't possibly need training yet."

"Yes, he is only five but the magic is already inside of him. It's very strong and out of control. He desperately needs training." The man said urgently.

Her dad questioned the old man. "What about his own father… or mother. Why can't he be trained by them?" he asked.

The old man answered simply. " His mother is mortal. Very fragile and his father… His father is Russell Denalli."

Her father's frown turned into a deep scowl and he rubbed the skin over his chest as if it pained him. "Denalli… No! I can't." he said fervently.

The man grabbed his father's hand pulling it away from his chest. "We are not asking. We are telling. Justin needs guidance. He needs a teacher that will instill responsibility and accountability in him. We believe you to be the correct choice. You will teach him." he said with determination.

Her father sighed with defeat. "And where will I train him. I'm sure that you are aware that I lost my powers when I married." he said hoping that detail would get him out of the commitment.

The old man walked back to the vegetable crisper. He pulled out a stick and waved it around. When he opened the refrigerator door a den of sorts appeared with all sorts of crazy and interesting objects crammed into it.

Alex gasped out and ran into the room finally pulling herself away from her father's leg. Her father was about to follow her when the man stopped him. He guided the boy into the room and shut the door leaving her alone with the boy. Alex took a few minutes to wander around the room touching everything. Once she had explored to her satisfaction, for now at least, she turned to look at the boy. He was cute with sad gray eyes and shaggy dark hair.

She walked up to him smiling. "Hi! My name is Alex! And you're Justin right! Today is my birthday!" she spat it all out with amazing speed and excitement.

Justin just stood silent staring at her.

Alex took a step closer to him lowering her voice secretively. "Are you really magic?" she asked. "Because I kinda thought magic wasn't real."

No answer.

The vegetable crisper door reopened and the weird old man reappeared. Justin ran out the door leaving her standing there looking after him and before she knew it they both disappeared.

Where he had been standing was a green shiny box. She grabbed it and looked inside. She found a candy bracelet with a little heart on it that said 'friends'. A smile lit up her face and her heart warmed. Her wish had come true because she got her friend, he was all hers, and amazingly he was magic.

**Author's Note: Alex and Justin are the same age in this story. I will probably explain it later in the story but just in case I forget... When Justin cast the spell it made his birth date a year earlier because Alex and Justin are only a few months apart in age and if they kept their birth dates the same it would be a dead give away something was not right. So this kind of explains why Justin is always portrayed as weakling. In this story he is actually a year or more younger than he thinks which explains why he always seems to be a bit behind physically. Thanks for reading and have an awesome day! **


	4. Daddy's Home

**Disclaimer: I don't own WOWP but if I did I doubt they would allow it on Disney Channel.**

**Chapter Four: Daddy's Home**

Justin jerked in his sleep waking Alex. His skin was now cold to the touch and clammy with sweat. He shivered and she cuddled close to him, wrapping her arms around him, trying to warm him with her own body heat.

He struggled against her mumbling agitatedly. "I'm sorry! Let me out! … Please, let me out!" he whined fitfully, trying to jerk free of whatever was restraining him.

Alex only held him tighter until he calmed. His body eventually relaxed and she loosened her hold on him, closing her eyes she went back to sleep.

* * *

Justin sat in the corner of the living room coloring. Huddled up he did the best he could to take up the least amount of space as possible, be as quiet as he could, and go completely unnoticed. His mother was in another of her panicked moods and he knew it was best not to bother her. He knew that his mother loved him but he also knew some of the things he did scared her. It scared him too because he didn't know how or why things happened, just that apparently he was the source of it all. So he was extra careful, extra careful not to set anything off.

Lisa Denalli fidgeted around the small shabby apartment scrubbing and polishing, arranging and rearranging, trying to make everything 'nice', but at the age of four Justin already knew that nothing was ever 'nice' enough, at least not in his father's opinion. His mother was frantic in her need to clean though and as upset as she was he didn't want to risk making anything worse, so he stayed in the corner, tried not to do anything bad, tried to blend in with the peeling yellow wallpaper.

Being a little boy sitting still was not an easy thing to do but he managed, although his mind wandered. He was bored and thirsty, his stomach growled a little and he almost wanted to shush it. He had been doing so good at being quiet up until that point. His mom had forgotten snack time in her rush to clean the house and with his hunger quickly growing all her could think about was grape juice and gold fish crackers.

He looked at his mother, who was on the verge of tears at she tried to position the couch cushions so that the many stains would not show. He couldn't interrupt her not when she was like this. Distracting himself he focused all his attention on coloring. Frowning he stared down at his Elmo coloring book, concentrating on each stroke of his red crayon to get the fur texture just right, to keep all the color within the lines. His stomach grumbled again, this time loudly, and his crayon ran off the picture causing a long streak across the page. His tummy ached at its emptiness causing his eyes to travel over the small apartment, finally landing fixedly on the kitchen area.

Goldfish crackers and grape juice, so simple but so out of reach. He knew that the grape juice was on the top shelf of the refrigerator and the crackers were in the upper cabinets. He knew he couldn't get to them but as his stomach rumbled and whined out to be filled he could think of nothing else.

There was a loud pop. The fridge flew open and grape juice exploded all over the kitchen. A cabinet door slung open and a rain of goldfish followed the shower of juice. The cracker boxed danced in mid air scattering the crunchy snacks about haphazardly.

Justin whimpered as his mother froze, she turned to him with a wide eyed expression of terror and he felt sick. He didn't know what to do, he hadn't meant for this to happen, he didn't know how to fix it. It seemed all he was ever good for was destruction and making both himself and his mom as unhappy as possible.

His mother took one hesitant step towards him and he couldn't hold back the misery any longer. He burst into tears, his whiny voice begging for comfort. "I'm sorry, mommy!" he wailed out with remorse. "I'm sorry!"

Her gray eyes softened from horror to sadness, rushing forward she picked him up, cradled him against her chest whispering reassuring words and soft endearments. She sat on the couch, holding him for a long while, pushing the shaggy black hair out of his face, singing to him as his arms clung around her neck.

The clock struck five; church bells rang out in the distance marking the time. His mother stiffened, her arms tightening around him as she looked at the mess that was their home. The refrigerator door was off its hinges. Grape juice was splattered everywhere speckling the walls and even reaching the carpet in the living room. Crackers were scattered and crushed, a liberal covering over the floor and furniture.

She got up abruptly, still holding him in her arms and rushed over to the closet. Justin tried to clutch onto her tighter as she wrenched him away from her body and shoved him into the dark little space. He gasped in terror as the door closed behind him blocking out all light. He was terrified of the dark; he couldn't even sleep without the Captain Jim Bob Sherwood nightlight she had gotten him. Now he was in a pitch black box-like little room and his mom had abandoned him to the monsters that thrived in these dark spaces. There was a soft snick, the sound of metal moving against metal. Reaching up he grabbed for the door knob, missed, reached out again but when he finally found it, it wouldn't turn. Feeling desperate he rattled the door knob screaming out to her. "I'm sorry! Mommy! I'm sorry! Please, let me out! I didn't mean too!" he begged, crouching down on the floor, sticking his little hand out from under the door.

She touched his hand, squeezed it softly, "I'm sorry too, baby! Just please be quiet! Be quiet and stay as still as possible until I let you back out." She was crying, her voice pleading with him to do this for her, so he did.

He was silent, holding back sniffles as they came. There was no sound in the apartment for the next fifteen minutes except for the soft scuffle of his mother shuffling around, trying to clean as fast as she could. Heavy foot steps came down the main hallway heading towards their door, the sound of them loud and ominous. Justin held his breath, his body tightening in fear. Daddy was home.

The thud of the door slamming open was followed by a curse. "Jesus Fucking Christ, Lisa! Look at this goddamned shit hole! What the hell did the little shit head do this time?" yelled an enraged Russell Denalli.

"He didn't do anything; he's been at a friend's house all day." The soft voice of Lisa Denalli answered back.

Russell snorted, his voice taking on the tone of some one insulted. "What do you think I am? A fucking retard! That little shit doesn't have any friends! I know he did this! Now, where the hell is he?" he asked again.

Lisa's voice quavered, "I told you, he's not here."

"How many times have I fucking told you, bitch? How many times have I told you not to fucking lie to me?"

Justin sat in the closet curled into a ball, hiding behind the heavy winter coats, tears streaming down his face, hands over his ears, but he couldn't block out the sounds coming through the thin door. His father yelled, his mother screamed. There were thuds and thumps and crashes. Then for a moment everything was quiet and he thought maybe everything was okay now. Maybe his mom would open the door and his dad would be passed out on the floor, like he often was but that didn't happen and the silence didn't last.

"Where are you, you little fucker?" his dad called out followed by the sound of a door slamming open. "Get your fucking ass out here!" another door slammed open.

He heard the steps coming closer, stopping in front of the closet door. The clack of metal as a door handle moved but would not turn came, then the thud of a fist hitting the door.

"There you are." the voice sounded evil and wholly pleased with itself.

Justin could hold back no longer, he cried and wailed, screamed out for his mommy as the door shook and splintered from his father beating against it.

"Mommy can't help you right now." his dad taunted him and slammed against the thin barrier one last time.

The door burst open, cracking down the side and there was his father, clothes stained, eyes blood shot, the ever present look of hatred carved across his features, and he was reaching for him.

* * *

Justin shot up in bed and strangled back the scream that wanted to spill from his lips. He was covered in sweat and the chill of the night air hit him, causing him to shiver. A figure sat up in bed next to him wrapping him in her arms and he nearly fell off the bed at the surprise.

"Alex?" he sighed in relief, recognizing the smell of her hair and the feel of her hug. He was so glad not to be alone after that horrible dream/memory that he didn't even question her presence. She calmed him, soothed his frazzled nerves as she stroked his hair and rubbed her cheek against his face.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He nodded, the dim light of his Captain Jim Bob Sherwood nightlight illuminating the gesture. "Yeah. It was just a bad dream." he told her.

"What was it about?" she questioned. "Was it really a dream or was it a memory coming back?"

Justin sighed. "I don't want to talk about it. I want to sleep." he told her. His body was still weak and tired form his sickness. He wrapped his arms around her as he lay back down, pulling her along with him, holding her as if she could anchor him to this world, this life, and keep all the bad memories away.

They lay next to each other, just listening to the sounds of their breathing. Justin relaxed and began to fall asleep again but Alex shifted against him trying to get comfortable. Her breasts pressed into his arm and her butt wriggled over his crotch. He was wide awake in an instant, his heart thumped, his groin tightened, and his breathing became slightly erratic. His body was suddenly so aware and his brain screamed out in confusion. "This is your sister!" and "This is not your sister!" both echoed through his head at top volume. He did it without even thinking, he shoved Alex away from him and fell out of the bed with a loud thud.

Alex jumped up from the mattress and turned on the reading lamp. "Justin, are you okay?" she called out with concern, moving towards him.

He stood up, backing away from her. He knew unequivocally, that if she touched him at this moment he would do something he would regret. "Stay away from me!" he yelled at her harshly.

Alex's eyes widened, hurt coursing through her. He must be dreaming! He must be confused! "Justin, it's me Alex… I'm your sister, you love me." she told him trying to calm him down.

Her words hit him, pummeled him. She wasn't his sister, not at all, and he couldn't love her because if he did, if he really let himself love her, she would be disgusted. He had to get out of here. "I don't… I don't love you." He denied, wincing at the pained look on her face. "And you're not my sister, not anymore." with those words out there was nothing left to do but run.

**Author's Note: When I wrote chapter three of his story I was thinking it sucked big time. Sunday I read over this story with the thought of updating it in my head and was surprised because for whatever reason it seemed much better than I remembered. So here it is. Justin's home life got just slightly darker than I was planning on but not by much. I wanted to show that Justin's mom really did love him but just wasn't strong enough mentally to handle the situations before her. I don't know if i pulled that off or not. Thanks for reading! Have an awesome day! **


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